WASHINGTON As they come to terms with their humiliating failure to undo the Affordable Care Act, Republicans eyeing next years congressional campaign are grappling with a new dilemma: Do they risk depressing their conservative base by abandoning the repeal effort or anger a broader set of voters by reviving a deeply unpopular bill even closer to the midterm elections?

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The question is particularly acute in the House, where the Republican majority could be at risk in 2018 if the partys voters are demoralized, and Democratic activists, energized by the chance to send a message to President Trump, stream to the polls.

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Weve got a lot of time to do real things on infrastructure, to do real things on tax reform, on red tape reform, and really get the American economy moving, said Representative Steve Stivers of Ohio, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House campaign arm. We do those things and we still have a lot of time to recover.

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Devising health care legislation that could appeal to both wings of the House Republican Conference the hard-line conservatives and more moderate members would require a nearly superhuman feat, added Representative Billy Long, Republican of Missouri.

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But other longtime Republicans warned that if the party did not address what they have derided as Obamacare, an issue that has been central to their campaigns for the last seven years, they would incur a heavy political price in the midterm elections.

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Midterm campaigns have increasingly become akin to parliamentary elections referendums on the party in power rather than on individual candidates, where turnout by dependable partisan voters is the deciding factor.

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If they fall on their sword on this, theyre going to get slaughtered, said former Representative Thomas M. Davis III, a Virginia Republican who himself was once at the helm of the House campaign committee.

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Where parties get hurt in midterms is when their base collapses, Mr. Davis said. Democrats are going to show up regardless of what you do. If our voters dont see us fulfilling what we said we were going to do, theyll get dispirited.

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What troubles many Republican strategists is the specter of the partys most reliable voters being bombarded by reminders of their leaders failure to address the health law. They fear a recurring story line sure to pop up every time insurance premiums increase, providers leave local networks, or, most worrisome, Republicans fund President Barack Obamas signature achievement.